Up for spirits? Tour the now-legal whiskey, rum, vodka and gin distilleries in the Carolinas

The Carolinas, North and South, blessed with mountain streams, dense woodlands and dark hollows proved ideal for illicit whiskey making. Many hereabouts realized that corn was more valuable when used to make white liquor instead of cattle feed.

The Carolinas, North and South, blessed with mountain streams, dense woodlands and dark hollows proved ideal for illicit whiskey making. Many hereabouts realized that corn was more valuable when used to make white liquor instead of cattle feed.

Following legalization, they worked on unique whiskeys and gins using regional recipes from the 1700s, experimenting by adding herbs and botanicals. Result: Cardinal American, a modern-style sipping gin.

Boasting wild harvested botanicals – juniper berries, grains of paradise (a species of ginger), frankincense, clove, spearmint and orange peel – Cardinal American dry gin won double gold at the San Francisco World spirits competition in 2012; scored 93 at the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago in 2011; and took a bronze at the International Wine & Spirits competition in London in 2013.

New in 2014, Barrel Rested Cardinal gin is aged in unused bourbon barrels for six months. “It completely changes the character of the gin” Alex explained. “It boasts a whiskey-like flavor, great for twist on classic martini drinks or an exceptional Negroni.”

Also new: Turning Point Carolina is un-aged rye whiskey made from 60 percent rye, 20 percent corn, and 20 percent rye malt. “We intend to set this back in barrels, rendering a straight rye available in two years.”

Muddy River Distillery produces Carolina Rum. “We started the company with money I had been saving to build a house” said Robbie Delaney, who married wife Caroline a month before their first batch tricked from the vat.

The fifth legal distillery in North Carolina, it’s the only one dedicated to making rum: distilling, aging, bottling and doing everything else in-house at their recently expanded facility.

Delaney, a general contractor, read an in-flight magazine article , how craft distilling is following in the footsteps of craft brewing, so gave distilling a try. Opening in February 2012 they released their first product, Carolina Rum – sweet aroma, surprisingly smooth taste, subtly different to other rums.

Queen Charlotte’s Reserve, an American white oak barrel-aged rum, was released in October.

“Already we’ve moved from a 500 square-foot space to a 6,100 square-foot distillery to keep up with demand,” Delaney said.